Trouble in the Shadows
by Sapphira T
Summary: Fifth Story in the 'All for One' series. Heavy OC, so don't like, don't read. When trouble lurks just out of view, and a murderer hides in the dark, can the Musketeers and Rogue find the shadow man? Or will he find them first. Yes I realize how cheesy that sounds. No, I don't really care.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! Sapphira here, and I honestly didn't think I'd be back. Anyway, this story is supposed to before 'Reincarnate' Because I hate that story and feel like I overextended. Yaaaaaaaay...**

 **But, this one is in Old France, and picks up where the last fic left off. I hope you all enjoy it! And please, do tell!**

 **ST**

"Aramis!" I shouted, sliding down the rooftop with Porthos clattering behind me, "Catch!"

I threw the bag in my hands to him, and he caught it before ducking into a busy market.

Porthos roared behind me and I laughed, before leaping onto another building. A few people below stopped and smiled at our antics, more than used to seeing the Inseparables acting like children on slow days.

I continued running along the rooftop, then leapt into an oncoming cart of hay probably going out of the city. I vanished in the fluffy hay, and heard several people laugh.

I popped my head out and grabbed my hat before throwing a few coins to the master of the cart in apology, then leapt out of the cart, throwing hay everywhere.

Aramis and I hadn't really had time to talk about where we'd meet up, since it was more of spurn of the moment thing that found Aramis snatching Porthos' winnings at his last card game and sprinting away, shouting at me to help him.

I ducked into the market square, checking behind me to see if Porthos was following me, and promptly ran into someone.

What ensued after was me flipping through the air over someone else, then rolling over the harsh cobblestone. I groaned as I came to a slow stop, then jerked when a hand just appeared in my vision.

I followed the hand up to the person who it belonged too, and saw a slightly flustered attractive man. He held my hat in his other hand, and was smiling good-naturedly at me.

"Going somewhere a bit fast, aren't we?" The pleasant voice reached my ears.

I smiled helplessly at him, my ears heating up, and reached up for his hand. "My apologies, Monsieur, I was merely…" I looked past his shoulder as the huge form of Porthos appeared within the crowd of people. I grabbed my hat from the stranger I'd practically mowed over, "Running from him! My apologies and thanks, Monsieur! Gotta go!"

I turned and started sprinting again, and heard Porthos crashing through the crowd behind me.

I turned another corner, then yelped as a hand clapped over my mouth and another appeared around my shoulders to yank me into an alleyway.

My first reaction was to elbow whoever was attempting to kidnap me, but that action grinded to a halt when I saw D'artagnan's grinning face. He grabbed my hand as he turned, and we both rocketed through the alley.

M

We slowed our mad dash as the Garrison came into view, and jogged through the gates.

"Do you know where Aramis was headed?" I asked through breaths.

D'artagnan shook his head, "Nope."

"Wonderful."

"Yep."

"You aren't much help." I reproached playfully.

He raised an eyebrow at me, "I helped you get away from Porthos."

I tilted my head to him, "This is true."

"Who were you flirting with in the market square?" He asked curiously as we walked into the Garrison yard.

Before I could answer, Aramis' voice carried over to us with a shout, "Rogue was flirting?! With who?!"

I glared at D'artagnan as the rest of the yard began swarming me. I was known around here as a heartbreaker because of all the young women I turned down, and now that Aramis shouted I had been flirting, everyone took that and ran away with it.

To the rest of the world, Aramis sounded playfully teasing to a friend. To me, I could hear the undercurrent of jealousy.

Honestly, being in a secret relationship with Aramis was nigh exhausting sometimes. But the slow dances in candlelight and the soft touches made up for his madness. Sometimes.

"Out of my way!" Porthos growled, and the people who had been swarming me with their chattering questions dispersed completely as the bear thundered through.

He grabbed me by the cloak and lifted me off the ground, shaking me like a cat caught drinking the milk. "Where's your partner in crime?" He asked, shaking me more with each word.

"Over here!" Aramis sang, standing on top of our table and shaking the bag of winnings with a grin.

Porthos lost all interest in me, causing me to get thrown to the side like a sack of flour. I hit the ground feet first, thankfully, and righted myself to watch Porthos chase Aramis around the yard.

Finally, Athos heaved a dramatic sigh and held his arm out just in time for Aramis to clothesline himself on it.

Aramis crashed to the ground in a heap, and Porthos was on top of him a moment later, much to the amusement of the rest of the yard.

I laughed, high and clear, and had to lean against D'artagnan to prevent me from crashing to the ground as well. The entire yard was like that, and I could see Treville chuckling on his balcony. We were lucky it was later in the day, and very slow for all the Musketeers, otherwise Treville would have us all cleaning the stables for disrupting training.

Athos was even smirking as he waltzed over to D'artagnan and I.

When I had calmed down slightly (Very difficult, since Porthos was now attempting to strangle Aramis with his own cloak), I smirked at Athos and asked, "Proud of yourself?"

"Very." Was the pleased reply.

That reply sent D'artagnan and I into more laughter as Aramis attempted to tap out.


	2. Chapter 2

The three of us were sitting at our table, discussing the merit of going out for wine tonight, when Aramis and Porthos finally wondered over. Porthos was looking very proud, and was sporting the bag of goodies proudly for the world to see. Aramis, however, looked a little worse for wear.

Porthos never intentionally hurt us, _badly_ , during friendly spars. But the pain thing for Porthos was different than anyone else's, as such, he could occasionally accidentally hurt us very badly. He was always guilty afterwards, but he had too much strength to not rough us up a bit.

Aramis collapsed beside me and slumped onto my shoulder. I sighed, then moved so he could lay in my lap, taking his hat off in the process.

He got comfortable, then started purring (He totally purred, even if he denied it) as I ran my fingers through his soft curly hair. But before he got so comfortable he fell asleep (He'd done it before) he asked, "Who were you flirting with?"

The other three suddenly started paying attention to us and I heaved a sigh. "No one, you moron. I ran into someone in the market square, literally. He was just helping me get off the ground before Porthos sat on me. D'artagnan saw it, and blew it out of proportion. I'm not unloyal you know."

A pleased smile curled his lips, "I know. Just wondering." He blinked up at me innocently as Porthos boomed a laugh, slapping his knee in his humor.

"My friend, if you 'just wondered' about every person Rogue speaks to, there would not be so many confused men in Paris after speakin' with 'er and earning themselves a black eye." Porthos said, speaking the truth.

"One would think you don't trust Rogue." Athos commented dryly.

Aramis leapt into a sitting position so fast he nearly hit my nose on the way up. "I'll have you know I trust Rogue with my life!" He shouted in indignation.

"Just not with any single man she comes across." D'artagnan teased, safely away from the other Musketeers to refer to me as a 'her' not a 'him'.

I patted Aramis shoulder when he looked like he was about to challenge all three of our brothers to a duel over his trust issues. "Easy, _Annwyl_." I soothed, slipping into Welsh. "I believe you."

Aramis gave a triumphant look to the other three, then collapsed in my lap again. When I just smiled down at him in fond amusement, he sighed and grabbed my hand, plopping, t down on his head, then looked up at me expectantly.

"I swear, you are the biggest cat I've ever seen." I complained playfully.

"You shoulda seen 'im before you showed up." Porthos chuckled, "Didn' purr like that, but he still looked like a content housecat."

I hummed, then looked up at the other three and away from my _Annwyl_. "So, drinks tonight, or no?"

What I saw when I looked up were the _sappiest_ expressions I'd ever seen my three brothers give me. D'artagnan looked happy and almost childish with that fond innocence in his eyes; Porthos had a huge fond smile directed at us; and Athos' eyes were soft around the edges, and a fond smile curled his lips slightly.

I coughed awkwardly, a blush rising up my neck, and that seemed to snap them out of it.

"Well, a new tavern has opened up near the market square." D'artagnan said thoughtfully. "The owner himself flagged me down one day and offered that we'd get a discount. Apparently, Athos saved his wife from a thief one day. So all the Inseparables get discounts on the food and drink."

"In that case!" Porthos roared, moving to stand. "I say we go!"

Aramis roused from his light daze and sat up as Porthos shouted, "What are we doing?"

"Drinking." Athos replied dryly.

Aramis leapt to his feet and jumped beside Porthos, throwing a companionable arm around his shoulder despite nearly being broken by Porthos earlier. "What are we waiting for then?!"

Then he and Porthos waltzed out of the Garrison, already singing tavern songs. I sighed and stood up; D'artagnan slid beside me and threw an arm over my shoulder, then Athos', and we walked after them much quieter.

"So, Constance noted this morning that she hadn't given you a baking lesson in a while. Why's that?" D'artagnan asked after a beat of silence.

If I was going to be honest, I'd say it was because Constance was a witch in the kitchen. She reminded me fiercely of an old cook I used to know, who actually taught me camp cooking, that would smack my wrists if he caught me stealing little pieces of whatever he was cooking. That is what Constance did. Also, when I said an awful joke, or got something wrong, her wooden spoon would appear out of nowhere and hit me. And I wasn't allowed to eat what I cooked until somebody else (ie not Constance or I) tried it, which was torture just staring at a pie I'd made that looked so good, but I wasn't allowed to touch it.

What I said instead was, "I keep forgetting that I'm the one who has to show up and schedule it."

Athos gave me a disbelieving look over D'artagnan's head, followed by a smirk that told me exactly what he thought of the lie.

D'artagnan, on the other hand, nodded thoughtfully. "Okay." Then dropped the matter, and I couldn't help but feel relieved.

But also slightly apprehensive for some reason.

M

I woke up with a slight headache behind my eyes as the sun rose and illuminated my room. I sat up with a yawn and looked around through my messy hair that had tangled in my face, I'd have to take a bath tonight.

The tavern we'd tried was nice, and had a very homey feel to it. The wine was wonderful, which would explain my slight headache; though Aramis and Porthos would probably wake up feeling absolutely _wonderful_. I smirked at the thought, and swung off my bed. I got dressed quickly and just slung my sword belt over my shoulder as I grabbed my hat, then I began gliding silently down the hallway towards Aramis' bedroom.

I walked in almost completely silent, but his stupid creaky door ruined my sneakiness. The creaking rang loudly throughout the room, and the lump that was Aramis suddenly burst out of his blankets.

Aramis landed harshly on the floor and staggered; his too large shirt that I suspect he stole from Porthos was slipping off one shoulder, and he was swinging at unseen enemies. Then he groaned loudly and doubled over, clutching his stomach and his head.

I snickered and leaned against the doorframe as Aramis suffered. "Having fun, darling?" I asked snarkily. He waved an obscene gesture towards me in reply, and I laughed louder.

"Shh!" He hissed between clenched teeth.

I sighed dramatically, "Well, Love, as much as I'd like to give you peace and quiet and let you simple sleep this hangover away, we do have a job to go to. More specifically, The Summer Party Guard Duty that we need to ride for."

Aramis' groan loudened, and I laughed again. "Perhaps you should have heeded Athos' warning last night before you took on a bottle of wine on your own."

"I blame Porthos." He slurred, sitting heavily down in his bed.

"I'm sure our bear friend is feeling wonderfully today as well." I reassured, "D'artagnan too, probably. I mean, I have a slight headache, but Athos and I were content to watch you three stumble about more than actually drinking ourselves."

He waved another rude gesture towards me and I snickered, before gasping in mock indignation, "Well! In that case, I'll be off. I'll actually have time to have breakfast today, Athos invited me by the way. If you aren't at the Garrison by 8:00, I'll unleash Athos on you. See you at the Garrison, Love."

With that, I turned and walked briskly away, able to actually ignore my headache to properly function. Perhaps I shouldn't have been so amused by my _Annwyl_. Then again, he made it awfully hard not to be.


	3. Chapter 3

I sighed as my horse began dancing impatiently, moving side to side near the stables and nearly stepping on a stable hand. He wouldn't be so antsy if Porthos actually showed up on time. Even Aramis had been here more or less on time; but I wasn't sure if he regretted the action or not.

He was currently slumped over his saddle, munching slowly on a baguette that I had saved for him from my breakfast with Athos. His hat was pulled low over his eyes, and his body language and posture screamed that he did not want to be up and moving around.

D'artagnan was the same, only he didn't have the luxury of still having breakfast, as Constance had forced it into him before he left their house that morning.

Athos walked back to us and put his dress uniform into his saddlebag, as the rest of us had already done. We'd get dressed when we arrived at the parade so we didn't get the fancy uniforms dirty before then; which, knowing us, we would find some way to get them dirty, torn, or completely lose them along the way.

I tossed Athos the reins to his big stallion and he looked around, "No Porthos yet?"

I shook my head, and began to open my mouth when Porthos sprinted through the gates, saddlebag over his shoulder and hat clutched in his hand.

He looked just as bad as Aramis, if not a bit worse.

I snickered as he took his horse from D'artagnan with a tired nod of thanks.

"Rough morning?" I asked, teasing tone lilting my voice.

He shot me a dirty look in response, and I laughed harder.

Once Porthos had tied his saddlebags (Which Athos had checked to ensure he had his uniform) and swung on, Athos quickly swung on as well and began leading us out of the Garrison.

We went slowly through the city, but since we were slightly late (By about 30 minutes, so not drastically) we picked up the pace to a gallop when we hit the city limits. Something that the three hungover people in our company were not happy about.

I nearly fell off Shadow because I was laughing so hard at them.

M

I shifted again, uncomfortable in the stiff new uniform I would only use during parties such as this one. Treville shot me a low look of disapproval, so I tried to lock my limbs. Their Majesties weren't there yet, since the party had yet to begin, but I had been chosen to act as the Queen's escort, so I was at Treville's side beneath an elegant tent that had thrones in the center.

Tables stretched out along the garden square the party was being hosted at (Though I didn't understand why we had to have it at a secluded estate nearly an hours ride from Paris when the Palace Garden was quite expansive), and my fellow Musketeers, as well as a few Red Guards, were surrounding the perimeter. A few patrolled around the grounds, and I knew that Athos and D'artagnan were among the ones on horseback patrolling. Porthos and Aramis were somewhere among the line of Musketeers on guard duty near the tables, and I was stuck front and center beside Treville.

I'd much rather be on Shadow with D'artagnan, and let Athos stand beside Treville, as was his place, but the Queen had requested my presence behind her.

Yay me.

I shifted the dark blue uniform again, making sure it was correct and in its' right place, then shifted the black sword at my side so it was showed off more. I didn't have many weapons on me other than the flintlock hanging on one hip, and my black sword on the other. I had numerous knives hidden along my person as well, but I'd much rather have my bow and quiver on my shoulder. Apparently, that was 'too old fashioned'.

Treville heaved a sigh, then moved across the short space dividing us and started shifting my uniform around to his liking. "You've been to these events how many times?" He asked rhetorically as he pulled my hat lower across my face and adjusted the feather that adorned it.

"Sorry, _Father_." I sassed lightly, adding a small smile to lessen the words.

He gave me a flat look, but I saw the small smirk dancing on his lips as he cuffed my shoulder. "Now, what are you to do today?"

"Stay beside the Queen at all times; keep my eye out for any threat; trust my instincts; only speak when spoken to; and protect the Queen above all others." I replied mechanically.

Treville nodded his approval, "I believe this is the first time you are only protecting one of their Majesties, correct?" At my nod, he continued, "Let me worry about the King. Do not attempt to protect him if the Queen is in danger in a different area; you are only here to serve as her guard."

I nodded again, and he patted my cheek once before quickly striding back to his place behind the King's throne.

Why did we even have to have these stupid seasonal parties? Yes, we get it, it's summer, big whoop. But why have the party now at the beginning? At least have it at the equinox; though, I knew their Majesties were having _another_ party at the summer equinox. Yay. Yet another pointless guard party. Maybe I'd get lucky and get injured beforehand so I didn't have to serve at it.

Then the trumpets began sounding, alerting everyone that their Majesties were coming out. It also broke me out of my dark thoughts, and I quickly threw a neutral mask onto my face, smoothing out my expressions. I locked my limbs and stood at attention, then mentally bemoaned the horror of it all.

I'd have to maintain this position for the entire morning, then move around like a walking doll when the Queen interacted with her guests later this afternoon. Although, I suppose I should be thankful I got the cover of tents and large umbrellas for most of the day. The others had to stand in position in the hot sun; except for the patrollers of course.

Their Majesties strode out of the large manor behind the garden with the Cardinal following behind with his entourage of Red Guards, and walked along the carpets to their thrones. When they arrived at the tent, the King beamed at Treville, calling out a cheerful greeting of, "Captain! You look splendid today. The new uniforms I ordered really do look lovely on you."

The 'new uniforms' were dark blue with black outlining, and the large Fleur De Lois on the front, and back of the long sweeping cloak. The gloves were thick and durable, as were the boots, and all in all, it wasn't uncomfortable. The britches were a bit tight, though. I was assured, however, when I was ordered to get fitted for them, that the tightness was the intention.

Which was just _wonderful_.

The King locked his gaze on me next, and smiled broadly at me. "Ah! Rogue! The uniform looks absolutely wonderful on you as well!"

I forced a smile to my face and bowed respectfully to him, "Your Majesty has excellent taste, and I thank you graciously for the flattering compliment."

When I looked up again, I concluded that I had said the correct thing. The King was smiling smugly now, and a light blush had risen on his cheeks.

He coughed, then threw an awkward smile to the Queen, then addressed me again, "Well, only the best for my Musketeers. Can't have you all looking like tramps, now can I?"

I shook my head, "No you cannot, Your Majesty."

The King nodded, satisfied, and looked to the Queen. "You wished to speak with Rogue, did you not, my Queen?"

The Queen smiled in greeting at me, and I gave her a genuine smile in return. I liked speaking with her, and here lately it had become a common occurrence to be called into the castle during my free time so she and I could play chess together, or she could just speak to me. I'd apparently become her confident. I suspected she knew who I was, since she had played the Countess of Wales in chess as well. I had changed my voice, and wasn't wearing make-up now, but the Queen wasn't an idiot. However, if she knew, she was doing a wonderful job at ignoring it.

"I only wished to thank her for agreeing to be my Guard for the party." She said simply.

"Ah! I did need to thank you for that as well, Rogue." The King said with a smile; then he tried for a stern look, "I want you to take very good care of her, am I understood?"

I bowed again respectfully, "Certainly. I will guard her Majesty with my life, your Majesty."

"Excellent." The faux sternness hadn't left his voice, but when I lifted my head again, he let the act drop and looked at me expectantly. He lowered his voice as he asked, "How was that? Did I sound commanding?"

I dipped my head respectfully, partially to hide the smirk that was threatening my lips until I could reel it in again, and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty. I am in awe of your commanding leadership."

That may have been too sickly sweet, but he seemed to buy it, since he beamed proudly at me. Then he turned and guided the Queen to her seat, before taking his own.

Then the trumpets began again, signifying the arrival of the first royal guests.

I mentally heaved a sigh as the Cardinal gave me a low look that showed his opinion of me, and his four lackies took their places at the corners of the tent, then settled in for a long day.


	4. Chapter 4

I smiled politely at another giggling woman, and moved to stand behind the Queen's shoulder.

I looked around in boredom, but noted in relief that the sun was sinking steadily, and the party was almost done.

For today.

The whole party was supposed to last over the course of three days to celebrate the arrival of summer, and had numerous 'royal' guests. But, I didn't mind it as much as I thought I would. Mostly because I was guarding and shadowing the Queen.

If I was shadowing the King like Treville, I would not get out alive.

The Queen was much more lenient with me, and if she wasn't the one who offered me something, I didn't have to take it, and she let me get away with telling high up women 'no'. Plus, she saved me from numerous situations where my fiery personality could have gotten me incarcerated, despite my self-control, with grace and all the charm that she was famous for.

She was also extremely polite and friendly. Plus, she didn't introduce me as her guard, but rather her friend. It shouldn't have made me feel as warm as it did…. But it did.

I walked forward again as the Queen flitted from table to table, and after another conversation with an official, she turned to me with a contemplating glance.

"Rogue…" She began in a low voice, flipping out her fan and leaning towards me. "You don't suppose we could get out for just a moment, do you? We could take a walk in the garden. I'm certain my King would allow it if you were with me."

I dipped my head towards her, "I think so as well, Your Majesty. The party is getting rather much."

She smiled in obvious relief and reached out to squeeze my arm briefly, "You are a great friend, Rogue."

I smiled back at her, "I must follow your wonderful example, My Queen."

She graced me with another smile, then flitted off like a fairy in her glittery pink dress towards where the King was entertaining a Grand Duke or something. To be honest, I kind of stopped listening to the herald after the tenth person he announced.

I followed the Queen, and smiled encouragingly at the King when he glanced at me as he listened to the Queen ask permission to step out.

The King looked slightly contemplative, and I stepped forward, "If I may speak freely, My King."

His guests looked interested in me, and the King smiled at me. "Of course, Rogue. I value your words."

I dipped my head, "My gracious thanks to kind words, Your Majesty. The Queen has been entertaining guests all day, and it is not healthy, nor desirable, for her to be in the spotlight at all times without a reprieve eventually. A walk in the garden, secluded and peaceful, will be exactly the pick-up, if you will, that the Queen needs to maintain the image of a gracious host."

The King smiled at me, "As always, I am swayed by your words. Very well, my Darling," He referred to the Queen with _those_ words, "You may venture into the garden, so long as you take Rogue with you."

The Queen gave him a wide smile that made the King slightly flustered, and briefly touched his arm, "Thank you, My Love. I shall keep our valiant Musketeer close by."

"See that you do." The King replied, before smiling meaningfully at me. I bowed lowly, then began to follow the Queen. Before I turned away completely, Treville gave me a stern look, and I responded with a small smirk. He rolled his eyes in response, but turned back when the King asked him a question.

Like I'd let anything happen to the Queen.

M

Anne sat down on one of the stone benches in the secluded garden, and sighed happily. Somewhere, a bird chirped cheerfully. The large willow tree rising in front of one of the numerous hedges that made of the maze surrounding us cast lovely shade over the pair of us, and Anne gestured for me to sit beside her.

I obeyed and removed my hat, running my hand through my hair and huffing as the wild curls fell in my eyes.

Anne giggled and smiled happily at me; I smirked back at her and looked out at the garden. Roses and Lavender grew in bulk here, and almost everywhere you looked, there were the bushes.

"It's pretty." I noted.

"It is. The gardeners have been taking excellent care of it for this event." Anne replied.

"So, is there a specific reason you wanted out of the party, or were you just getting claustrophobic?" I asked, propping my head on my hand to look at her.

She sighed and looked at the garden, "I enjoy the parties Louis throws, but this one…." She sighed again, "I can't help but feel something is wrong."

I narrowed my eyes, "Like in what degree of wrongness?"

She shrugged helplessly, "I do not know. I just feel an ominous cloud hanging over our heads, and I can't breathe with it around."

"Do you still feel it now?" I asked.

She shook her head and smiled at me, "No. I believe it has something to do with being alone in the garden with my confident and friend."

I smiled back at her, then looked back out to the garden. It was peaceful here, and quiet. You couldn't even hear the party in the distance; though we were pretty deep in the hedge maze.

Then Anne shattered the peaceful atmosphere by whispering, "Rogue…. I…. I know…"

I froze, and slowly turned towards her. She looked nervous, but she was also smiling warmly at me. "You know what, Your Majesty?" I whispered back, already dreading the answer.

"I know you are not a man." Those simple words made my blood freeze.

Would I have to run away? How far would I have to run? I'd never see my brothers again, nor Aramis…

Then her hand fell on mine, grinding my restless thoughts to a halt. "Rogue, I'm not going to tell Louis. I swear it. I haven't told anyone." She reassured me with a kind smile. "I would not trust you as much being my confident if you weren't a woman. I am confused as to why you portray yourself as a man, though."

My mouth opened and closed as my brain started to reboot after the panicked shut-down. "Uh….. Easier to… To move through the world." I managed to choke out, "No one tells you that you can't do something, and if they do, I'm allowed to punch them…"

Anne giggled, and squeezed my hand. "I am glad though. Because it means you became a Musketeer, and my friend. Although, the reason I found out at all was because of your stint as the Countess of Wales. Why did you do that, if I may ask? It seemed risky, even for you."

I coughed, a blush rising up my cheeks. "I didn't want to, but Treville said that if I went undercover, then we may have been able to catch the murderer in Paris who was murdering young ladies. And the more attention I drew to myself, the better. I doubt that D'artagnan would have pulled the dress of as well as I did."

Anne laughed at that, "So your brothers know?"

I nodded, "Yes. When I met Aramis and D'artagnan, Aramis pinned me as a woman almost instantly."

"How do other people not notice?" Anne asked curiously, angling her body towards me.

I shrugged, "No clue. But I think it's because they don't want to see it. They'd rather see me as a man because I can fight, I speak like a man, and I dress like one. Plus, I don't really have the curves any lady my age does. Even in a corset I still had a flat chest and hardly any hips."

Anne nodded thoughtfully, "Very true, I suppose." Then a mischievous gleam entered her eyes, "Have you had many adventures that are worth retelling? From the point of view of a woman, not the man you are acting as."

I laughed as relief crashed over me. I trusted Anne to not tell anyone else about it; she knew that I'd be executed for it, and I was confident that she liked me well enough not to blab. And Anne could be extremely secretive when she wanted to be, so I was safe.

With that knowledge, I launched into retelling her of my adventures.


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm so sorry for being gone for so long! Please forgive me with this chapter though... I'll try to update this more regularly, but I can't make any promises.**

 **ST**

We spent the rest of the afternoon talking, and my heart had finally returned to normal when I heard shouting.

"Rogue! Your Majesty! Where are you?!" It sounded like D'artagnan.

I immediately stood, putting my hat back on, and shouted back, "Over here, D'artagnan!" I didn't know where he was, but he was close by.

Anne stood up as well, and put her hand on my elbow, enticing me to curve it up for her so she could thread her arm with mine. "I suppose our peaceful afternoon is being dashed." She bemoaned slightly dramatically.

I smirked at her, moving forward in the direction that I thought D'artagnan had been at. "Comes with being the Queen, I suppose."

She giggled, and we strode through the maze of bushes and hedges.

M

We had walked for a while, but there was no D'artagnan to be seen. It was equal parts hilarious and frustrating, because every time he'd shout, he'd sound…. Off. Which made me believe he was injured.

After we rounded the same corner with no results, I sighed. "Perhaps we better get back to the party, Your Majesty. D'artagnan may be playing a harmless prank, but if he isn't, then the party is the best place we could be."

She turned a worried glance at me, "Are you certain? D'artagnan sounded… off, like he was injured."

I sighed again, "Yes, I noticed that too. But I'd be more likely to get to the bottom of without having to worry about you." I gave her an apologetic smile, "Apologies, Your Majesty, but I cannot risk your safety. Even for my brother. I'll hand you off if that's alright with you, then come back."

She worried her bottom lip, then nodded, "Very well."

With that settled, I steered her back in the direction of the party, and we escaped the maze with little difficulty since we were already close to one of the exits. Once that was done, I quickly found Porthos with the Queen still on my arm.

"Porthos." The Queen acknowledged him with a small smile, and he returned the smile broadly.

He bowed low, sweeping his hat with a flourish and breaking out of the guard attitude. "Your Majesty."

Anne waited until he rose before addressing the issue. "There seems to be something wrong in the garden, but Rogue did not wish to drag me into it. So he proposed the idea of switching guards, then going back to investigate."

Porthos flashed a brief worried glance at me, then turned back to the Queen. "I would be honored, Your Majesty. But perhaps I can go into the garden in Rogue's place?"

The Queen shook her head, "That's not needed, Porthos. I trust Rogue to find the issue. However, I'm more concerned about allowing you to stretch your legs. Standing here all day must be tiring."

"You get used to it, Your Majesty." Porthos joked, then stepped forward and offered her his arm. She left me to take it, then gave me a comforting smile.

"You will find out the issue, won't you, Rogue?" She asked.

I bowed, "I will, My Queen." Then I turned to Porthos, "And I'll notify Treville of the swap."

He nodded, then the Queen led him off to more party goers. I sighed again, then walked off to find Treville.

M

Treville wasn't difficult to find, and notifying him was easy. He nodded, consenting to my reasoning. Before I could leave, however, he caught my arm and drew me close. "Be wary, Rogue. I do not like how this sounds. I'd send one of your brothers with you…"

"But we can't risk it being noticed." I finished for him. I gave him a comforting smile, shielding by both of our hats from prying eyes, "Don't worry, Captain. I'll be a shadow."

"I trust you to do so." He told me honestly, then moved back as if we had just discussed tea. He moved to tell the King the situation, and I melted away from the crowd.

M

Back in the confusing hedge maze, I alternating between jogging and calling out for D'artagnan.

Then, when I realized I was probably in the center of the maze, his voice popped up close by.

"Rogue." He still sounded off, and not like himself at all.

I whipped around, looking for him, but I couldn't see anything except hedges. "D'artagnan!" I hissed, "Now is no time for games! Come out!"

A laugh that sounded forced came from him, and he taunted back, "Come find me!"

I sprinted around the maze, trying to catch him, but only succeeded in making myself more lost. Then I heard footsteps nearing me, so quiet I almost missed them. I made a split second decision, and melted into the hedge as quietly as I was able, holding my hat in my hand to prevent it from falling out of the hedge.

A cloud crossed over the sun, and the figure ran by quickly. They weren't wearing any type of clothing that was better than a servant's, but they remained in the darkest part of the shadows expertly. They had the same build that D'artagnan or I held, and as they sprinted by they seemed as if they were looking for someone.

When they passed me, I stepped out of my hidey hole, narrowing my eyes in the direction they'd left.

I'd heard of people who could mimic other voices that belonged to someone else, but I'd never met one before. Right now though? I think I was just played by one.

One way to find out for sure though. I needed to get out of this damned maze, find D'artagnan, and ask him if he was anywhere near it today, or if he'd been looking for me.

A part of me hoped he was just playing a prank, but another part told me that D'artagnan wouldn't do that today. Another thing that pointed to that was this: He was paired with Athos. Athos never would have allowed him to do this.

Which meant I was right for returning the Queen to safety before looking for whoever was shouting.


End file.
